Tuesday Bird Droppings: Where the slog to the finish line continues

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

There is, regrettably, still some Orioles baseball on the schedule this season. After their 1-8 road trip, the O’s are back in Baltimore tonight to kick off a nine-game homestand against the Athletics, White Sox, and Blue Jays. Meanwhile, as Hurricane Florence makes its way toward the East Coast, there’s rain in the forecast all week.

Could this three-game series against the A’s be the most sparsely attended in Camden Yards history? Three weeknight games during the school year, in potentially miserable weather, featuring a 41-102 home team against a visiting club that doesn’t exactly have a large East Coast following? Good seats, I’m sure, still remain.

If you’re counting — and I know I am — the O’s have only 19 games remaining. I’d be unfurling banners on the warehouse, Cal Ripken style, every time the O’s are one game closer to wrapping up this travesty of a season.

Links

Orioles in identity crisis: Where did the strong defense and fundamentals go? - Baltimore Sun
Even for a rebuilding team, the Orioles are doing absolutely nothing well, as this article encapsulates. Caleb Joseph shares a few pointed words about the club’s repeated gaffes.

Connolly’s Tap Room: Is Jones’ dwindling playing time business or displeasure? – The Athletic
Dan Connolly perfectly summarizes why the Orioles' decision to bench Adam Jones for the entire series in Tampa Bay made no sense.

Inbox: What's the concern with Dylan Bundy? - MLB.com
Brittany Ghiroli tackles reader questions about Dylan Bundy, Adam Jones, Dan Duquette, and the general mood of the club.

What does the future hold for the 13 Orioles who made their MLB debuts this season? - BaltimoreBaseball.com
A whole bunch of Orioles have cracked a major league roster for the first time this season. Which ones are actually worth keeping around? This stunningly talented writer offers his opinions.

More with DL Hall and more on an awful road trip - Steve Melewski
DL Hall may be the Orioles’ most promising pitching prospect right now. Too bad he’s still several years away from the majors.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have not one but two current Orioles birthday buddies, including Andrew Cashner, who turns 32 today. Cashner might not be the best pitcher in the world, but he’s taken the ball every fifth day without complaint for one of the worst teams in history, and he’s always the first guy at the top step cheering whenever the O’s do something good. He’s a likable guy, that Cashner.

Also, it’s the 24th birthday of Evan Phillips, the righty reliever acquired in the Kevin Gausman trade. Phillips had a failed four-game stint with the Orioles in August and hasn’t been called back up since Norfolk’s season ended last Monday. And going way back, it’s the birthday of the late Eddie Miksis, who appeared in four games for the O’s from 1957-58. He passed away in 2005; he would’ve been 92 today.

On this day in 1958, O’s manager Paul Richards used his own version of “the opener,” putting two pitchers into the starting lineup at defensive positions — Milt Pappas at second base and Jack Harshman in center field — for a road game. The idea was that if the O’s rallied in the top of the first, he could pinch-hit for those guys with a player of his choosing. Sure enough, Harshman’s spot came up with two on and two outs, and Richards used Gene Woodling as a pinch-hitter, but he flied out. The O’s lost, 7-1.

Three years ago on this date, the O’s hit two grand slams in one inning against the Royals, leading Mark Brown to write one of the greatest headlines in Camden Chat history. Nolan Reimold and Steve Clevenger were the salami-hitters in the blowout win.

Yes, folks, we’re less than three weeks away from the end of the season and the Orioles haven’t even ruled out the possibility of being the worst team in modern history. Yikes. They only need two more wins to assure they’ll be better than the ‘62 Mets, but are we sure that’s going to happen? Like, completely sure?

One thing’s for certain: the O’s will be one of the five worst teams in history unless they can go 9-10 in their remaining games. Not going to happen.